Morgan Freeman Lawyer Hits Back at CNN, Demands Retraction on Sexual Harassment Story

A lawyer for Morgan Freeman has issued a statement demanding CNN apologize and retract its May 24 story accusing the actor of multiple instances of sexual harassment.

In a letter to CNN president Jeff Zucker, Robert M. Schwartz, an attorney for the Oscar-winning actor, claims the article, where eight women have accused Freeman of harassment and inappropriate behavior, was “used to unjustly attack him.” He goes on to argue that the piece suffers from “…malicious intent, falsehoods, sleight-of-hand, an absence of editorial control, and journalistic malpractice.”

Schwartz claims that one of the article’s authors Chloe Melas “baited and prodded” witnesses and victims to speak out against Freeman and was motivated by personal bias. Melas says she was harassed by the actor during a junket interview for “Going in Style” — at the time, Freeman allegedly told the pregnant reporter that she was “ripe” and commented on her body. In his letter, Schwartz says an internal investigation by Warner Bros., the film’s producer, did not find any wrong-doing. Both Warner Bros. and CNN have the same corporate parent company, Time Warner.

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“The problem with Ms. Melas’ account, which infected everything that she and CNN thereafter did, is that her version of the interview is false,” Schwartz writes. “It is based on her imagining that Mr. Freeman had said or done anything to harass her. However, there is substantial evidence that Ms. Melas imagined an incident, or exaggerated a non-malicious remark wildly out of proportion to reality, to give her a basis to go after Mr. Freeman and cause him the grave harm that CNN’s story has inflicted.”

A spokesperson for CNN hit back at the letter in a statement, and noted that Freeman had initially apologized after the story broke.

“The unfounded accusations made by Mr. Freeman’s lawyer are disappointing and are difficult to reconcile with Mr. Freeman’s own public statements in the aftermath of the story,” the statement reads. “CNN stands by its reporting and will respond forcefully to any attempt by Mr. Freeman or his representatives to intimidateusfrom covering this important public issue.”

Schwartz responded to CNN’s statement saying, “We presented CNN with objective evidence, including videotapes and on-the-record denials by the claimed ‘victims,’ that the alleged incident that gave rise to the story never happened. We proved to CNN, beyond any doubt, that the whole story was built on fakery. The credibility of the entire CNN attack on Mr. Freeman has now been undermined. And in choosing to ignore all of the evidence that we presented, CNN has confirmed our concerns about its reporters, its lack of oversight, and its gross misconduct in unjustifiably attacking Mr. Freeman.”

An Phung co-wrote the story with Melas. Freeman has been a force in Hollywood for four decades, appearing in the likes of “The Shawshank Redemption,” “Million Dollar Baby,” and “The Dark Knight.”

After the report broke, Freeman apologized to anyone he may have “upset,” but also denied any suggestion he assaulted women. The 80-year old star has already faced professional consequences. Visa suspended a marketing campaign with the actor, the city of Vancouver decided not to make Freeman the voice of its public transit system, and SAG-AFTRA may revoke the lifetime achievement award it gave the star earlier this year.

Schwartz’s letter goes on to note that Chicago WGN-TV’s Tyra Martin, who is cited in the article as one of Freeman’s victims, has claimed that CNN misrepresented her remarks. Melas was the only victim cited by name in the story, but CNN spoke to 16 people for the piece — eight of them were alleged victims and the other eight corroborated their accounts.

In addition to attacking the reporting, Freeman’s attorney is demanding that the network retract portions of the story concerning his producing partner Lori McCreary. The article accuses McCreary and Freeman of fostering over a “toxic” work environment at their production company Revelations Entertainment, one in which women were demeaned. It also notes that McCreary was the subject of comments about her short skirts by Freeman when she appeared with the actor on a panel at 2016’s Produced By conference.

“At a minimum, CNN immediately needs to issue a retraction and apologize to Mr. Freeman through the same channels, and with the same level of attention, that it used to unjustly attack him on May 24,” Schwartz writes. “CNN also needs to retract the portions of the story that concern Lori McCreary and apologize to her for defaming and injuring her.”

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